High School Student Stereotypes consist of 5 different groups to which all students are expected to fit in. These groups include; Nerds, Emo's, Jocks, the Do- gooders and the Popular Girls. Each group has their own look and act in a certain manner which helps to reinforce the title they carry, given to them by the media.
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The Nerd Stereotype
Nerd (adjective: nerdy) is a descriptive term, often used pejoratively, indicating that a person is overly intellectual, obsessive, or socially impaired. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, obscure, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many nerds are described as being shy, quirky, and unattractive, and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports. Though originally deragatory, "Nerd" is a stereotypical term, but as with other pejoratives, it has been reclaimed and redefined by some as a term of pride and group identity. - Definition by Wikipedia.
Nerd (adjective: nerdy) is a descriptive term, often used pejoratively, indicating that a person is overly intellectual, obsessive, or socially impaired. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, obscure, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many nerds are described as being shy, quirky, and unattractive, and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports. Though originally deragatory, "Nerd" is a stereotypical term, but as with other pejoratives, it has been reclaimed and redefined by some as a term of pride and group identity. - Definition by Wikipedia.
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Example
A good example of this is Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon is the epitome of the nerd stereotype. He is a socially awkward outcast in high-school living with his Grandma, brother Kip and pet Llama named Tina. School hours are spent drawing fantasy creatures and daydreaming.
Napoleons style of dress emphasizes that he is a Nerd. Dressing tidily in collared shirts, a vest, a tie and of course, glasses. This style is commonly used to represent Geeks or Nerds by the media and helps us distinguish which group someone may belong to. By his attire alone we are clearly able to identify Napoleon as a nerd before his character even speaks. But how have we come to recognize this style of dress as "Being a nerd"? Through constant repetition of misrepresentation by the media of course. However misrepresentation is a rather bold term, as some may proudly live up to the media's portrayal of such.
Out of curiosity, I asked High school students a simple question. What makes someone a nerd?
Not only were their answers highly stereotypical, often they were what Nerds were represented as by the media.
"A nerd is someone who is really smart, plays video games instead of going out and dresses weird. They like, wear glasses and sometimes have braces."
"Nerds watch star trek and star wars and things like that"
"Nerds wear button ups (collared shirts) or really high necked T-shirts. Or fancy dress shirts and long dress pants. They're usually pretty awkward and shy."
"You know someone is a nerd when they quote star trek, watch doctor who, and they can draw."
So as categorized by the media in order to fit society, what is a nerd? Nerds are people who wear glasses, non-revealing/unflattering clothing (usually high necked tops or button ups) and are interested in fantasy. And that is about as deep as it gets from a stereotypical point of view. However, it's not all bad, and highlights of being a nerd (or perhaps just the realistic version of what it means to be a nerd) are shown through counter-types within the media. Counter types such as Penny.
A good example of this is Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon is the epitome of the nerd stereotype. He is a socially awkward outcast in high-school living with his Grandma, brother Kip and pet Llama named Tina. School hours are spent drawing fantasy creatures and daydreaming.
Napoleons style of dress emphasizes that he is a Nerd. Dressing tidily in collared shirts, a vest, a tie and of course, glasses. This style is commonly used to represent Geeks or Nerds by the media and helps us distinguish which group someone may belong to. By his attire alone we are clearly able to identify Napoleon as a nerd before his character even speaks. But how have we come to recognize this style of dress as "Being a nerd"? Through constant repetition of misrepresentation by the media of course. However misrepresentation is a rather bold term, as some may proudly live up to the media's portrayal of such.
Out of curiosity, I asked High school students a simple question. What makes someone a nerd?
Not only were their answers highly stereotypical, often they were what Nerds were represented as by the media.
"A nerd is someone who is really smart, plays video games instead of going out and dresses weird. They like, wear glasses and sometimes have braces."
"Nerds watch star trek and star wars and things like that"
"Nerds wear button ups (collared shirts) or really high necked T-shirts. Or fancy dress shirts and long dress pants. They're usually pretty awkward and shy."
"You know someone is a nerd when they quote star trek, watch doctor who, and they can draw."
So as categorized by the media in order to fit society, what is a nerd? Nerds are people who wear glasses, non-revealing/unflattering clothing (usually high necked tops or button ups) and are interested in fantasy. And that is about as deep as it gets from a stereotypical point of view. However, it's not all bad, and highlights of being a nerd (or perhaps just the realistic version of what it means to be a nerd) are shown through counter-types within the media. Counter types such as Penny.
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Nerd Counter-types
The definition of a countertype is a positive stereotype and emphasizes the positive features about a person. - http://www.yourdictionary.com/countertype
Penny, from The Big Bang Theory, is a Nerd counter type.
Often indulging in intelligent conversation and quoting Star Trek films. Though Nerds have a stereotypical style of dress within the media, Penny dresses stylishly, flaunting her features subtly and showing off her feminine side. She wears low cut tops that are considerately revealing but not to an offensive extent. Showing skill in video games, Penny fits the personality side of what it means to be a nerd whilst maintaining her own character by dressing in such a manner that contradicts the stereotype which fits her so well. And this, I believe, is the true/realistic representation of nerds.
The definition of a countertype is a positive stereotype and emphasizes the positive features about a person. - http://www.yourdictionary.com/countertype
Penny, from The Big Bang Theory, is a Nerd counter type.
Often indulging in intelligent conversation and quoting Star Trek films. Though Nerds have a stereotypical style of dress within the media, Penny dresses stylishly, flaunting her features subtly and showing off her feminine side. She wears low cut tops that are considerately revealing but not to an offensive extent. Showing skill in video games, Penny fits the personality side of what it means to be a nerd whilst maintaining her own character by dressing in such a manner that contradicts the stereotype which fits her so well. And this, I believe, is the true/realistic representation of nerds.
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Popular Girls
Visually, we imagine the typical popular girl to be a cheerleader (perhaps, even the team captain.) As a result, she’s friends with all the other cheerleaders who are obviously quite stunning themselves. This could translate into a legion of followers or minions who do her bidding and help spread rumors and protect their queen. Stereotypically, this would draw the attention of popular males in the school, only elevating her status further. Again, in the movies, it’s common to think of a popular girl as a mean girl – someone who is stubborn, self-centered, selfish, and a narcissist. This is advantageous because it allows her to maintain her position; no one would dare challenge someone who holds so much power. For the stereotypical popular girl, gossip is another source of power. By constantly lowering the self-esteem of her challengers, gossip is an inherent characteristic that gives her leverage and control. Lastly, the mean girl, as we’ll now call her, seems to often be portrayed as untrustworthy and deceitful; therefore, she’s unpredictable.
- http://www.be-popular.com/characteristics-of-stereotypical-popular-girls
Visually, we imagine the typical popular girl to be a cheerleader (perhaps, even the team captain.) As a result, she’s friends with all the other cheerleaders who are obviously quite stunning themselves. This could translate into a legion of followers or minions who do her bidding and help spread rumors and protect their queen. Stereotypically, this would draw the attention of popular males in the school, only elevating her status further. Again, in the movies, it’s common to think of a popular girl as a mean girl – someone who is stubborn, self-centered, selfish, and a narcissist. This is advantageous because it allows her to maintain her position; no one would dare challenge someone who holds so much power. For the stereotypical popular girl, gossip is another source of power. By constantly lowering the self-esteem of her challengers, gossip is an inherent characteristic that gives her leverage and control. Lastly, the mean girl, as we’ll now call her, seems to often be portrayed as untrustworthy and deceitful; therefore, she’s unpredictable.
- http://www.be-popular.com/characteristics-of-stereotypical-popular-girls
Popular Girls, as represented in Easy A and Mean Girls, must dress in a certain way. Wearing short skirts or shorts, their pants rarely cover their legs. Tight/Fitting tops are worn to show the size of their cleavage and how slender they are (because yes, in media, size is everything). Have you ever seen a large girl portrayed as popular in modern day films, t.v shows or magazines? It isn't a common occurrence that's for sure. Popular girls dress somewhat provocatively and their stance often draws attention to either their strength when talking down to females (e.g arms crossed, head slightly tilted, facing straight ahead) or their feminine features when talking to men (e.g standing so that one leg is bent, outlining thighs and calves, hands by sides, one placed on hip or twirling hair). Portrayed as highly conceded, nasty and uneasily approachable, Popular girls maintain a (Naughty B word) appearance whom prey on the weak, being judgmental just for the fun of it. Regina and the plastics in Mean Girls shows these traits, as well as being spoiled rotten and rich.
This stereotypical view of popular girls can be somewhat demeaning and offensive, yet sadly - in my opinion - many do live up to such stereotypes with the exception of those who manage to keep their heads and their ego under control. I believe that how one acts is not based on popularity but by choice. So it is up to the individual as whether or not they would like to become this stereotype, as when given the same opportunities and put under the same situations, it is ones reactions/actions that define who they are. Popular girls included.
Goths/Emos
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Three words best sum up the what the stereotypical Goth is all about: death, pretension, and angst. The stereotypical Goth always wears black clothing, or every now and again white -- never any other color. They have dyed black hair, black nails, white face makeup, black eye makeup and black lipstick -- maybe some designs drawn at the edge of the eyes in black eyeliner. (This goes for guys and girls.) The stereotypical Goth nowadays likes to dress up like a vampire or act like one. They like blood, death, coffins, bats, skulls, spider webs and anything spooky. Take a look at common culture under fashion to get more of an idea of the kind of things they might wear. They will never wear jeans and a T-shirt, and they never go out in public without their makeup on. Stereotypical goths look just like all the other stereotypical Goths.The stereotypical Goth never smiles and always broods. They write bad cheesy poems about angst or vampires or tragedy. He/she is not just an artist, but an arteest (super pretentious bad artist trying to be an intellectual). They drink coffee, avoid sunlight, and only smoke clove cigarettes. They will not listen to anything other than gothic music. They hang out at graveyards for kicks or sit around at coffee shops all day. Their job, if they have one, will probably be either fast food or telemarketing. They take themselves and life very seriously and blow everything way out of proportion. They always act over-dramatic.
And yes I have to agree with this source when they say that Johnny the Homicidal maniac shows the funniest representation of goths through Anne Gwish (The picture featured above). Author/Illustrator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac takes the extremes of what society THINKS being a goth is about and turns it into a mockery of how shallow stereotypes can be. But still,this is how we know Goths. And thanks to the medias generalization of the worlds population, not often shall we ever see any more than this. Haven't seen Goths in media before? Well take a look at an old classic, The Breakfast Club, a film which purposefully uses stereotypical High-school grouped characters.
And yes I have to agree with this source when they say that Johnny the Homicidal maniac shows the funniest representation of goths through Anne Gwish (The picture featured above). Author/Illustrator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac takes the extremes of what society THINKS being a goth is about and turns it into a mockery of how shallow stereotypes can be. But still,this is how we know Goths. And thanks to the medias generalization of the worlds population, not often shall we ever see any more than this. Haven't seen Goths in media before? Well take a look at an old classic, The Breakfast Club, a film which purposefully uses stereotypical High-school grouped characters.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/4/1/26416969/4304724.jpg)
Allison (one protagonist of The Breakfast Club) is the weird, disturbingly quiet Goth girl. And serves to be a fair representation of a stereotypical Goth. That's the initial prognosis, but as the movie develops, we get other insights into her pseudo-complex character. She's a compulsive liar with no friends and a drinking problem. She also dresses in black, has rather dark eye make up, black nail polish and yes, as expected, quite exciting hair if that be the word for it. But does this really make someone Goth? In the media, yes. In reality, no. So as usual, to serve as my retort about how unreasonable stereotyping is, here is a video about what goth is, and what it is not. Need more be said?
Jocks/Athletes
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- The Jock is a negative stereotype aimed mainly at athletic males. Jocks usually play football, basketball, soccer or any other game that requires aggression. Granted, not all athletes are jocks. But all jocks are athletes. In school environments Jocks are stereotyped as being unintelligent, arrogant, mean and aggressive. Nevertheless they are considered good-looking, charming and admired for their athletic abilities. They are popular within their social circle, especially with girls. They are known for bullying those who are less athletic than them. Such as "Nerds".
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_jock_stereotype?#slide=5
The stereotype is most prevalent in movies for teenagers such as College, American Pie, and Revenge of the Nerds' movies. The stereotype extends beyond the high-school and collegiate age group, trickling down into media intended for younger audiences. Examples of this include the high school football quarterback Dash Baxter in the Nickelodeon cartoon Danny Phantom. Other notable portrayals of the stereotype include the popular athlete love interest "Tommy Ross" in Carrie, the spoiled bullying antagonist Luke Ward in the first season of The O.C., and Kim's wealthy athlete boyfriend Jim in Edward Scissorhands. The mass media borrows many stereotypical characteristics of jocks, and they are commonly used to portray a character who is relatively unintelligent and unenlightened, but nonetheless socially and physically well-endowed. Usually, jocks will play aggressive sports such as football or basketball. Examples from television shows include Ryan Shay in the sitcom Suburgatory and Jimmy Armstrong in the sitcom Hot in Cleveland. The main jock character often occupies a high position, such as the quarterback or captain of the football team. In many cases the jock is shown to come from a wealthy family: driving a fancy, expensive sports car or SUV, and wearing expensive, name-brand clothing; however, this is not always the case. In this regard there may be significant overlap with the preppie stereotype.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_(athlete)#Portrayal_in_the_media